Active cold air intake system

ABSTRACT

A cold air intake system is provided for actively controlling airflow based upon user input and/or demand conditions. Two air inlets are provided into a sealed air box with the secondary air intake including an air control valve for modulating intrusion of intake air. The valve has a valve seat formed the housing sidewall and a flap door valve member actively actuated via a controller. The mass air flow sensor indicates total demand. A pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provide additional input from the airbox. The controller modifies the valve position based upon pressure, temperature and mass air flow. Control is biased to increase secondary air intake when airbox pressure decreases and biased to decrease secondary air intake when airbox temperature increases. Controller biasing occurs between 30° F. to 160° F. and over pressure ranges between 0.01″ H 2 O to 5″ H 2 O.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application62/579,323, filed on 31 Oct. 2017 and incorporated by reference as iffully rewritten herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to air induction systems forinternal combustion engines and, more particularly, to a cold air intakesystem having an actively controlled airflow based upon user inputand/or demand conditions.

2. Description of the Related Art

Air intake assemblies are provided on vehicles to deliver air to aninternal combustion engine. Commonly the air intake assembly is arrangedin an engine compartment and includes an air intake for collectingintake are located behind the radiator grill or in an area within afender, an air intake duct which communicates the air to an air cleanerenclosure where it is filtered, and then to an intake manifold whichdirect the filtered air into the combustion chambers.

In order to produce sufficient power at optimal efficiency, the ratio ofair to fuel is controlled at an appropriate mass balance. While thedelivery of fuel can be routinely, adequately and repeatably bedelivered, delivery of air is more problematic due to its compressibleflow. For example, changes in air temperature or restrictions in airflowthrough the intake system can both cause detrimental performance. Assuch, in addition to normal ranges and changes in atmospherictemperature, the mere increase in the temperature of the enginecompartment due to the operation of the engine can diminish the massflow of air to the engine if not accommodated. As the temperature of theintake air increases, a reduction in engine power and fuel economyoccurs.

Some methods and devices are known that incorporate various mechanismsfor improving the delivery and flow modulation of air for improvement ofengine performance. For example:

U.S. Pat. No. 9,677,517, issued in the name of Roten et al., discloses adual path cool air inlet system having a primary and secondary airintake ducts to an air cleaner enclosure unit. Air is directed to theair cleaner enclosure from the air ducts based upon pressure in eachduct. A fan in one duct boost airflow, and a baffle within the duct isused to modulate airflow from the fan.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,161, issued in the name of Alex et al., discloses anair induction system for internal combustion engines having a primaryinduction tube, and a secondary induction tube. The secondary inductiontube has a closing element in the form of a rotary flap that is actuateddepending upon engine speed. The single claim includes limitationsspecific to the geometry of an integrated air filter housing, and theobjective is the optimum suppression of noise.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,590, assigned to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company,discloses an active air intake for a motorcycle engine. An air filterbox is provided with two openings and a valve for opening-closing thesecond opening. However, the openings are in series, not parallel, andthe baffle valve is behind the filter not before. Of interest is thatthe vale is electronically actuated and controlled from the ECM basedupon engine speed, throttle position and gear selection.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,425, assigned to Toyota, discloses an intake systemthat has two air intake ducts connected to the air cleaner box. Thefirst air intake is farther from the air box and has a larger crosssectional area than the second air intake. The centerline of each intakeintersects at the middle of the air box. An on/off valve at the secondair intake is actuated based on negative pressure.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,503, issued in the name of Komada et al., disclosesan air intake duct also having a pair of intake ducts that are balancedto reducing intake noise at low engine speeds. This extensive patentuses a variety of mechanical balancing mechanisms in order to providethe use of the ECM, or any electronic valving.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,108, issued in the name of Mueller, discloses an airfilter housing having two intakes ducts, each with an independentclosure valve. When temperatures of intake air fall below a set pointthe first intake valve closes and the second intake valve opens in orderto provide an alternate air intake flow path in order to minimize theintrusion of unencumbered snow that can cause engine stalling. here arevarious other patents with ‘snow dumping’ valves and operations foraddressing similar issues of snow/moisture intrusion, including U.S.Pat. Nos. 8,048,197 and 9,062,639, which generally control airflowthrough alternate paths, with minimal pressure drop, based upontemperature changes.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,036, issued in the name of White, discloses a systemand method for cooling air intake that utilizes compressed air injectionto cool the air directed into the intake of the engine.

And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,556, issued in the name of Takeda, has an airintake device that has a bypass tank that allows for both additional airintrusion to be provided to the engine at high speeds as well asprovides for decreased intake noise at idle.

As shown, much of the prior art is directed toward amelioration of noisecaused when modulating air intake, while others deal with prevention ofsnow/moisture intrusion, while others still deal with simply minimizingair flow restrictions without consideration of the intended demand.Thus, while these various cold air intake systems work for theirintended purpose, there remains a need for improvement in the relevantart.

Consequently, a need exists for an actively controlled cold air intakesystem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved airinduction system for internal combustion engines.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a cold air intakesystem having an actively controlled airflow based upon user inputand/or demand conditions.

The present invention provides an active cold air intake system thatincludes a cold air box that actively modulates cold air intake fromseparate sources with minimum pressure drop. The cold air box includesan inlet valve that is modulated by an actuator. A controller biases thevalve based upon intake temperature, air mass flowrate and airboxpressure according to a control scheme identified by a user selectionmode for efficiency (biased toward temperature control) or performance(biased toward pressure/mass control). Based on variations in combustionneed, namely, lower temperature air at low idle and higher air massthroughput at load, a modulation set point for air flow is modified forair flow control separate and distinct from throttle control or air/fuelmixture control.

Through such operation of the airbox damper door improved efficiency andperformance can be achieved, with more cool air and less pressure dropbeing achieved over the entire performance curve.

Further features of the invention will become apparent in the course ofthe following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following more detailed description andclaims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in whichlike elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cold air intake system according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary cold air intake system kitutilizing the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the kit of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms ofits preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the Figures. It shouldbe understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by thewords of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and that thedetailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does notdescribe every possible embodiment since describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternativeembodiments could be implemented, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this patent, which wouldstill fall within the scope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, eitherexpressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, andsuch term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on anystatement made in any section of this patent (other than the language ofthe claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at theend of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistentwith a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as tonot confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term bylimited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally,unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and afunction without the recital of any structure, it is not intended thatthe scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the applicationof 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms ofits preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the Figures.

1. Detailed Description of the Figures

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicatethe same parts throughout the several views, a cold air intake system,generally noted as 10, is shown according to the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. The system 10 is intended to be provided as anaftermarket replacement kit 20 for installation on and use with anexisting vehicle engine 30. However, is will become apparent to a personhaving ordinary skill in the relevant art, in light of the presentteachings, that the features and improvements herein may be equivalentlyprovided in various installations, including as an original equipmentinstallation.

The kit 20 includes essentially an enclosed airbox 40, air filter 50,air flow control valve 60, sensors including a temperature sensor 70,pressure sensor 72 and mass airflow sensor 74, a control valve actuator80, and a controller 90.

The airbox 40 forms an enclosed housing having a primary access orifice42 for proving combustion air input from an intake tube 44. The intaketube 40 allows for the primary intrusion of intake air 46 from outsidethe vehicle's engine compartment. The intake air 46 a from outside theengine compartment is intended as being of atmospheric conditions, andas such will pass through the system 10 without significant temperaturegain from the conditions within the engine compartment. However,delivery of this intake air flows a distance through the intake tube 44and, as such, will experience a pressure loss due to the flow ofcompressible fluid. The airbox 40 further forms a secondary accessorifice 48 for secondary intrusion of intake air 46 b from inside theengine compartment. The intake air 46 b from inside the enginecompartment may be warmer than atmospheric conditions due to increasedtemperatures within the engine compartment. However, the secondaryaccess orifice 48 is intended to be adapted to delivers such warmer airinto the system 10 with significantly less pressure drop.

The enclosed airbox 40 is intended to house the filter 50. Further theair flow control valve 60 provides operational control of secondaryintake air 46 b through the secondary access orifice 48. While theparticular configuration of the control valve 60 need not be limiting toprovide for the present teachings, by way of example and not meant as alimitation the control valve 60 may comprise an door vane modulatedwithin the airbox housing wall and rotated by the actuator 80. Whilevarious configurations may be envisioned, such a structure provides forsimplicity of operation while maintaining the intended intake ofsecondary air 46 b with very low pressure drop through flowrestrictions.

The airbox 40 further has an egress orifice 49 for delivery of air tothe engine 30. Egress air is formed of a combination of intake air fromoutside the engine compartment 46 a and inside the engine compartment 46b. The combined intake air 46 is thereby delivered to the engine 30through the mass air flow sensor 74.

It should be noted that the above embodiment is provided and describedfor providing an understanding of the operation of the presentinvention, as will be further detail below. It is important tounderstand that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of the construction illustrated and the steps described herein.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orcarried out in a variety of ways. It is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation.

2. Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

In operation the control valve actuator 80 is operative connected to thecontroller 90. The control algorithm provided by the controller 90optimizes airflow 46 as measured by the mass airflow sensor 74.Additional control inputs include airbox temperature from thetemperature sensor 70, and airbox pressure from the pressure sensor 72.Intake air temperatures may range from between approximately 30° F. toapproximately 160° F. Further, airbox pressures may range from about0.01″ H₂O to about 5″ H₂O. As the controller 90 identifies hotter intaketemperatures, the valve 60 will modulate closed until higher flowrestriction is reached in the airbox (as evidence by increasedpressures). Cooler temperatures will allow the control valve 60 it toopen wider and/or sooner. Additionally, increased engine demand asevidenced by measured airflow will also drive the opening of the valve60.

Such a dual control of air through the airbox damper door providesimproved efficiency and performance over the entire performance curve.High demand conditions controls to minimize pressure drop. This providesimproved performance at high speeds. Improved idle speed performance isprovided by tempering engine compartment ambient temperature whenincreased pressure drops are not present.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention are presented for purposes of illustration and description.The Title, Background, Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings andAbstract of the disclosure are hereby incorporated into the disclosureand are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not asrestrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding thatthey will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the Detailed Description, it can be seen that thedescription provides illustrative examples and the various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The followingclaims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects describedherein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with thelanguage claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding,none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails tosatisfy the requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 101, 102, or 103, nor should theybe interpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subjectmatter is hereby disclaimed. They are not intended to be exhaustive norto limit the invention to precise forms disclosed and, obviously, manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to bestexplain principles of the invention and its practical application, tothereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the inventionand its various embodiments with various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that a scope of theinvention be defined broadly by the Drawings and Specification appendedhereto and to their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the inventionis in no way to be limited only by any adverse inference under therulings of Warner-Jenkinson Company, v. Hilton Davis Chemical, 520 US 17(1997) or Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 535 U.S.722 (2002), or other similar caselaw or subsequent precedent should notbe made if any future claims are added or amended subsequent to thisPatent Application.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a cold air intake system having an air box influid communication with an engine throttle through a mass air flowsensor, wherein the improvement comprises: a first air intake forchanneling intake air from outside a vehicle engine compartment into theair box; and a second air intake for channeling intake air from inside avehicle engine compartment into the air box, said second air intakecommunicating air to the air box at a lower pressure drop than saidfirst air intake; means for actively modulating said second air intaketo control a flow of air.
 2. In the cold air intake system of claim 1,wherein said means for actively modulating said second air intakecomprises an actuated modulation valve incorporated directly within ahousing of said airbox.
 3. In the cold air intake system of claim 2,wherein the improvement further comprises: a controller in operationcommunication with an actuator for modulating said valve; wherein saidcontroller obtains an air flow demand operating input from said mass airflow sensor for determining a position for said modulation valve.
 4. Inthe cold air intake system of claim 3, wherein the improvement furthercomprises: a pressure measurement device in sensory communication withsaid air box for communicating a pressure within said air box andcommunicating said pressure to said controller; a temperature measuringdevice in sensory communication with said air box for measuring atemperature within said air box and communicating said temperature tosaid controller; wherein said controller provides a modified positionfor said modulation valve based upon said pressure and said temperature.5. In the cold air intake system of claim 4, wherein said modifiedposition is biased toward being further opened or faster opened whensaid pressure decreases.
 6. In the cold air intake system of claim 4,wherein said modified position is biased toward being further closed orfaster closed when said temperature increases.
 7. In the cold air intakesystem of claim 5, wherein said modified position is biased toward beingfurther closed or faster closed when said temperature increases.
 8. Inthe cold air intake system of claim 7, wherein said temperature rangesfrom between approximately 30° F. to approximately 160° F.
 9. In thecold air intake system of claim 8, wherein said pressure ranges frombetween approximately 0.01″ H₂O to approximately 5″ H₂O.
 10. A cold airintake system comprising: an enclosed airbox having a housing containingan air filter and forming a primary access orifice, a secondary accessorifice and an exit orifice in fluid communication with a vehiclethrottle input; an intake tube adapted for allowing intrusion of intakeair substantially from outside a vehicle's engine compartment; an aircontrol valve for modulating intrusion of intake air through saidsecondary access orifice substantially from inside a vehicle's enginecompartment, said valve further comprising: a valve port formed by saidsecondary access orifice; a valve seat formed a sidewall of saidhousing; a valve member mounted across said valve port; and an actuatorfor controlling a position of said valve member between a sealedcondition contacting said valve seat and an open condition allowingfluid communication through said secondary access orifice; a controllerin operational connection with said actuator and in sensorycommunication with a mass air flow sensor for communicating to saidcontroller a mass air flow through said exit orifice; a pressuremeasurement device in sensory communication with said air box forcommunicating a pressure within said air box and communicating saidpressure to said controller; and a temperature measuring device insensory communication with said air box for measuring a temperaturewithin said air box and communicating said temperature to saidcontroller; wherein said controller provides a modified position forsaid modulation valve based upon said pressure and said temperature andsaid mass air flow.
 11. The cold air intake system of claim 10, whereinsaid intake tube air provides air to said air box at a temperature frombetween approximately 30° F. to approximately 160° F. and at a pressureform between about 0.01″ H₂O to about 5″ H₂O.
 12. The cold air intakesystem of claim 11, wherein said airbox, said air filter, said intaketube, said air control valve and actuator, said controller, saidpressure measurement device and said temperature measuring devicefurther comprise an aftermarket replacement kit for installation on anduse with an existing vehicle engine; and said mass air flow sensor isadapted from an original vehicle equipment installation.
 13. The coldair intake system of claim 11, wherein said airbox, said air filter,said intake tube, said air control valve and actuator, said controller,said pressure measurement device and said temperature measuring deviceand said mass air flow sensor further comprise an aftermarketreplacement kit for installation on and use with an existing vehicleengine.
 14. A method of modifying vehicle performance and efficiencyover an entire performance curve comprising: a. providing a secondaryair intake for adding additional air from substantially inside a vehicleengine compartment to mix with intake air from a primary air intake toan airbox; b. measuring a pressure inside said airbox; c. measuring atemperature inside said airbox; d. modulating total mass air flow demandexiting said airbox to a vehicle throttle; and e. biasing an increase insecondary air intake when said pressure decreases.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: d. biasing a decrease in secondary airintake when said temperature increases.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein said increase is biased over a temperature ranges from betweenapproximately 30° F. to approximately 160° F.
 17. The method of claim14, wherein said decrease is biased over pressure ranges from betweenapproximately 0.01″ H₂O to approximately 5″ H₂O.
 18. The methods ofclaim 14, wherein said airbox comprises: an enclosed housing containingan air filter and forming a primary access orifice, a secondary accessorifice and an exit orifice in fluid communication with a vehiclethrottle input; an intake tube adapted for allowing intrusion of intakeair substantially from outside a vehicle's engine compartment; an aircontrol valve for modulating intrusion of intake air through saidsecondary access orifice substantially from inside a vehicle's enginecompartment, said valve further comprising: a valve port formed by saidsecondary access orifice; a valve seat formed a sidewall of saidhousing; a valve member mounted across said valve port; and an actuatorfor controlling a position of said valve member between a sealedcondition contacting said valve seat and an open condition allowingfluid communication through said secondary access orifice; a controllerin operational connection with said actuator and in sensorycommunication with a mass air flow sensor for communicating to saidcontroller a mass air flow through said exit orifice.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein said airbox, said air filter, said intake tube, saidair control valve and actuator, said controller, a pressure measurementdevice and a temperature measuring device further comprise anaftermarket replacement kit for installation on and use with an existingvehicle engine; and a mass air flow sensor is adapted from an originalvehicle equipment installation.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein saidairbox, said air filter, said intake tube, said air control valve andactuator, said controller, a pressure measurement device and atemperature measuring device and a mass air flow sensor further comprisean aftermarket replacement kit for installation on and use with anexisting vehicle engine.